Latest news with #InformationTechnologyAct
Time of India
42 minutes ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Karnataka government's job-training YouTube channel hacked, videos deleted
Bengaluru: Fraudsters have hacked into a govt-run YouTube channel — Vijaya Patha —and deleted hundreds of videos meant to guide job aspirants across Karnataka. The channel, maintained by the department of collegiate education, was part of an official initiative to offer online coaching and information on job opportunities, especially in the central govt sector. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The cyberattack, which took place between Jan 18 and June 16, came to light after the newly appointed special officer for the channel, Vikram K, noticed suspicious activity and flagged it for an audit. The fraudsters not only deleted all the uploaded content but also changed the channel's name twice, before eventually blocking it from public view. Following a complaint filed by deputy director Chandrashekara Nayak, Central CEN crime police have registered a case under the Information Technology Act, 2000, and launched an investigation. The motive behind the hacking remains unclear, and officials admit they are puzzled over why a public education resource would be targeted in this way. According to senior officers in the department, Vijaya Patha had more than 1.7 lakh subscribers and featured videos created by professors and experts on topics such as mental ability, history, and current affairs — all tailored for competitive exams. The department also runs another channel, Vijayi Bhava, which focuses on state govt job opportunities. That channel remains unaffected, with over 5.7 lakh subscribers and more than 700 videos currently available. Vikram, who was appointed in Jan this year, discovered that Vijaya Patha had been renamed Karnataka Exams without authorisation. He initiated the audit and, in March, sought clarification from the previous officer in charge, Manjunath B, who allegedly gave only an oral response, confirming that the channel had been hacked. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "Despite the breach, no prior information was shared with senior officials about the hacking or blocking of the channel. The fraudsters deleted hundreds of videos and renamed the channel. After a few days, they changed the name back to Vijaya Patha but blocked it from the Internet entirely," a senior officer said. Efforts are on to restore the channel. The department has assured that precautions are being taken to secure Vijayi Bhava, which also hosts many of the videos originally uploaded to Vijaya Patha. Aspirants can continue accessing central govt job preparation content there in the meantime. Plans are in place to relaunch Vijaya Patha 2.0, with the official launch expected soon. A govt order will be issued to formalise its reactivation, officials said.
Indian Express
3 hours ago
- Indian Express
Accused of honey trapping, extortion by Surat builder, absconding social media influencer held in Ahmedabad
Evading Surat police for over a year, a social media influencer, Kirti Patel, was arrested in Ahmedabad earlier this week for her alleged involvement in a case of honey trapping, extortion, and defamation filed by a builder, officers said. The woman was arrested from the Sarkhej area of the city on Tuesday. Police are looking for two more suspects involved in the racket. Patel, 34, has around 13 lakh followers on social media. On Wednesday, she was produced before a court by Kapodara police, which sought three days' police remand. Rejecting the same, the court sent her to judicial custody at Surat Central Jail. Sources said there was a property dispute between the complainant and one Vijay Savani, who also deals in real estate in Surat city, and the matter is pending in Surat court. To sort the dispute outside court, Savani took the help of Patel and others, said police. The complainant said Patel and others had called him to a farm house in Surat's Kosadi village last year for a meeting with Savani. During the meeting, they offered the complainant a cold drink spiked with a chemical substance and later took his objectionable photos, said the FIR. After a few days, Patel demanded Rs 2 crore from the complainant, threatening that she would make the photos go viral on social media, the FIR added. She also made different reels on social media against the builder and defamed him, the FIR alleged. The complaint was lodged in June 2024 under Indian Penal Code's sections 386 (extortion by putting a person in fear of death or grievous hurt), 389 (putting a person in fear of accusation of offence in order to commit extortion), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace), 506 (criminal intimidation), 328 (causing hurt by means of poison etc,. with intent to commit an offence), 507 (criminal intimidation by anonymous communication), 120(b) (criminal conspiracy), Information Technology Act section 66(e) and 67. Besides Patel and Savani, a woman called Manisha Goswami and another man, Jehangir Khan, were named in the FIR. Savani was arrested last year followed by Goswami and Khan while Patel remained absconding. Kapodara police station inspector M R Solanki said, 'Earlier, we had arrested three accused and submitted chargesheet in the court. Patel was absconding and our teams were looking for her. After receiving tip-offs, we sent our teams to the Sarkhej area in Ahmedabad and caught her with the help of local police. We have seized her mobile phone and have sent it to the Forensic Science laboratory to retrieve the data. Two more accused named in the complaint are yet to be arrested and our teams are looking for them.'
Time of India
4 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
Surat trader defrauded of 57L by employees in fake billing scam
Surat: In a major case of internal fraud, a Surat-based trader dealing in children's play equipment was defrauded of Rs 57 lakh by a group of 15 people, including seven of his own employees. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The accused allegedly created fake quotations under the company's name and sold goods without the owner's knowledge, siphoning off large sums over nearly a year. The complaint was filed by Prayag Bhimani, owner of Om Enterprise, a firm based in Marutidham Society, Sarthana, which deals in children's play equipment, gym setups, benches, and sports gear. The firm primarily designs products and outsources manufacturing based on client orders. According to Bhimani, the fraud began after he temporarily handed over business responsibilities to his staff in 2020 due to his father's critical illness during the pandemic. The scam came to light in Dec 2024, when a manager from the 'Rang – The Sky City' project contacted Bhimani about a bill issued by Dhingli Enterprise — a firm unknown to him — instead of a quotation from Om Enterprise. Upon inquiry, Bhimani learned that the firm had been secretly floated by one of his salesmen, Mayank Umreliya, in collaboration with other employees: Hiren Desai and Mitul Jiyani. Bhimani uncovered that his employees had been duping him since 2023. They sent official quotations under the Om Enterprise name, but supplied goods without his approval. In some cases, they stole goods worth Rs 4.97 lakh from the warehouse; in others, they sold poor-quality products procured cheaply from outside vendors. They allegedly colluded with third-party firms to create fake and forged invoices. Among those named in the complaint are Sagar Tilala, Santur Tilala, Prince Pipaliya, Jignesh Kava, Mahesh Ahir, Bhavik Kanani, Kaushal Radadiya, Kinjal Nathani, Kishan Radadiya,Ankit Desai, Hitesh Desai, and Mukesh Makwana — many of whom are proprietors of other firms who either supplied fake bills or accepted illicit transactions. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The accused also reportedly leaked confidential business data to outside vendors, causing further financial and operational damage. In response, Sarthana police have registered cases under various sections related to theft, cheating, and forgery and invoked the Information Technology Act for data theft. An investigation is underway.
The Hindu
8 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Ex-AIADMK MP lodges complaint against DMK IT wing secretary over post against Palaniswami
Former AIADMK Tiruchi MP P. Kumar on Friday lodged a complaint with Tiruchi Superintendent of Police S. Selvanagarathinam seeking legal action against DMK's IT wing secretary and Industries Minister T.R.B. Rajaa for alleged slanderous remarks and false information posted on the DMK IT wing's social media platform against former Chief Minister and AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami. Mr. Kumar handed over a copy of the complaint to the SP at the District Police Office here seeking action against Mr. Rajaa under various provisions of the Information Technology Act and under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Act. In the complaint, Mr. Kumar, who is the AIADMK's Tiruchi Rural South district secretary, said he was shocked to find the slanderous post in the DMK's IT Wing social media platform against Mr. Palaniswami with indecent and obscene caricature of the latter on June 17. It lowered the dignity of Mr. Palaniswami and the post he held. The act was a planned conspiracy to insult and damage the reputation of Mr. Palaniswami besides hurting the feelings of the AIADMK cadre, Mr. Kumar said in the complaint. The AIADMK party flag was insulted in the social media post. Such acts could create hatred and instigate conflict between the cadre of two political parties which could lead to law and order problems, Mr. Kumar said and sought legal action against Mr. Rajaa and those who had posted it.
Mint
15 hours ago
- Mint
IIT graduate, 14 others, arrested for possession of child pornography in Telangana
Telangana's Cyber Security Bureau has arrested 15 people, including an IIT graduate, in a coordinated crackdown targeting online child sexual abuse material (CSAM). According to a Hindustan Times report, most suspects are well-educated men in their 20s, hailing from middle-class families. Telangana State Cyber Security Bureau director Shikha Goel said the operation focused on repeat offenders involved in uploading, storing, and disseminating nude and sexually explicit content involving minors aged 6 to 14. Notably, at least one suspect holds an IIT degree and works at a reputed tech firm, while another is an engineering graduate currently job-seeking. 'Most of the content originates from foreign victims, predominantly girls aged between 6 and 14, with 90% of material involving female children,' Goel told the Telangana Today. All arrested individuals have since been remanded by a court. Shikha Goel told NDTV that the accused appeared to be part of a single group sharing sexual material targeting minors. "All of them appeared to be part of closed user groups sharing such material. Whether they are part of any organised gang or cartel is still under investigation,' she said. Goel also revealed that the suspects likely operated through closed user groups, distributing illicit content as part of a collective network. Investigators are still determining whether these groups are part of larger organised gangs or criminal cartels. The operation unfolded during a one-day, state-wide sweep informed by 57 cyber tip-line complaints. Law enforcement teams across Hyderabad, Yadagirigutta, Karimnagar, Warangal, and Jagtial executed the coordinated arrests. Following the operation, 34 FIRs were registered under relevant provisions of the Information Technology Act and the POCSO Act. According to media reports, the accused are under judicial custody.
